Is Alcohol Bad For Hair And Skin?
Cubelixa’s question: I’d like to know if the huge amount of alcohol in my natural cosmetic products (to compensate the lack of preservatives) will dry out my skin and hair on the long run because sort of everyone just keeps telling me this although I haven’t noticed that effect yet.
The Left Brain responds:
I shortened Cubelixa’s question for today’s post, but you can go to our Forum to read the entire thread which discusses the effect alcohol has on hair and skin, and the function of the ingredient in the hair tonic she’s using. Now I want to address her comment about using natural products that “contain a huge amount of alcohol to compensate for lack of preservatives.”
Alcohol preservation
While alcohol is an effective preservative a large amount is required to get the job done. (I’m talking about ethanol or isopropyl alcohol)I recall that levels of approximately 70% are required for effective preservation, but I couldn’t find a source to confirm that. I did find Preservative-free and self-preserving cosmetics and drugs that reminds us to take into consideration the water activity of the product when considering how much alcohol is required to preserve it. An example is provided of a skin care cream type product with <15% alcohol exhibited microbial growth because the watery layer where the product contacted the packaging allowed the alcohol to evaporate, thus reducing it’s efficacy. However, even though using high levels of alcohol can be effective, it’s not very practical in most cosmetics because it will effect the stability and/or aesthetic properties of the product.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
While I’m sure that Sarah Bellum would disagree with me, you shouldn’t be too reliant on alcohol. At least not as the preservative in your cosmetics. If you’re using a natural product that claims to be preserved with alcohol you should be very careful. As I’ve previously stated, you’re putting yourself at risk by using products that are not properly preserved (See 7 Reasons There Aren’t More Preservative Free Cosmetics.)
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